


Breathing

by D475UG0KU



Category: Metal Gear
Genre: Gen, M/M, i guess the night before shadow moses?, loud gesturing i'm so bad at writing my own otp, nothing explicitly shippy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-22
Updated: 2014-07-22
Packaged: 2018-02-09 22:49:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2000940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/D475UG0KU/pseuds/D475UG0KU
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It had been two years since Raiden needed to breathe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Breathing

It had been two years since Raiden needed to breathe. It had been two years since his body began to creak and clank with every movement, two years since platinum blond changed to silver. Since his eyes became like lights, shadowed by years without sleep and his skin became as white as the blood coursing through his fake veins. Two years since his soul was trapped in this metal prison, cold as an arctic wind.

The Nomad's gentle hum accompanied his sleepless nights as he lay hooked to the dialysis machine, his eyes liked a dimmed back-light as he tried to let his mind and body rest. The monitors on Otacon's desk cast blue lights around the aircraft two men and a child called their home. Sunny, who he had not seen since he left her in Snake and Otacon's care, slept upstairs. Otacon, who he had not seen since that night at the plant, slept at his desk, hunched over with his arms over his head. Snake, who left him in a crowd five years ago, slept on a bench near where Raiden lay.

Tonight, however, Snake did not sleep.

He sat in front of him, smoke curling from a cigarette between his lips, not saying a word. Raiden found a comfort in the man's shadow cast on to his abdomen. In the faintest, warm glow of flame from the tip of the cigarette he could see out of the corner of his peripherals.

"It's been a long time," said Snake in a hushed tone after what felt like hours. Raiden turned his head as much as he could. Too tired to form a sentence with his lips, his synthetic voice vibrated through the silence in the air.

"Five years." They were silent for another long stretch of time. Raiden let his eyes close as his eyelids grew heavy. He knew he would not sleep. He could not. He did not need it. He felt like he was wasting time, laying here, unable to do anything. What was there to do, though? Even as this monster, he could not hold a candle to the great Solid Snake, who was gray and barely holding himself together.

"I never thought something like this could happen to you," whispered Snake; his old age (he was not really old, Raiden reminded himself) made his voice even more gruff than it already was. Or was it sickness? Raiden's eyes opened again as he stared at his old friend, who held nothing but a powerful sense of sympathy in his clear eyes. Raiden felt pitied. He looked away. Two warm fingers softly brushed his cheek, the only stretch of skin that was still his own. His metallic body stiffened, and he shifted away as best as he could, trapped in place by tubes and wires.

"Life's cruel, isn't it?" asked Raiden in his synthetic voice, a sardonic twinge filtering through. He scoffed, and the action made him break into a coughing fit. Snake steadied him with a hand on his shoulder. Raiden tried to shy away. He did not want this pity. After his coughs died down, the silence returned. Snake took his hand away and pressed his cigarette out in an ashtray set on something behind Raiden's head. All he could feel was uncomfortable.

"You should sleep," said Raiden slowly, through his mouth. He took a shaky breath he did not need. "God knows you need it."

"Give me a moment," said Snake, something like irritation making his mustache twitch. Snake searched his pale face for something that probably was not there. After what felt like an eternity, Snake struggled to his feet; he planted a hand beside Raiden's head and dipped down, pressing his forehead to the protector over his own. Raiden's eyes lit up in surprise. He did not move. Snake's eyes were closed.

"I'm sorry." The words were so soft he barely heard them. Snake straightened up and, with a second of hesitation, ruffled his hair before slinking off to sleep. Raiden let out a breath he did not know he was holding.

It had been two years since Raiden needed to breathe, and Solid Snake still made his breath hitch.


End file.
